Combination dress ensemble



July 9, 1940. c. HILDEB'RAND COMBINATION DRESS ENSEMBLE Filed July 14, 1939 u f/g Patented July 9, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a combination ensemble dress, and this application for patent is a continuation-in-part of my pending application Ser. No. 241,671, filed November 21, 1938.

The apparel which the present invention has in contemplation comprises a basic unit consisting of a waistband and an overskirt secured thereto, the waistband having a plurality of circumferential courses of slide-fasteners to which l0 the upper garments, both inner and outer, and also a nether undergarment, such as a slip or underskirt, may be attached, and the basic unit is provided also with a course of circumferential slide-fasteners which may be either on the waist' 1B band or skirt, providing for an additional length section for the overskirt.

The general object of the invention is to provide a skirt which by addition or subtraction of the length section, may be converted from street to dress length, and vice versa, and to provide for the selective interchange of blouses and brassire or upper slip sections, also for the selective interchange of lower slip sections or underskirts.

The specific objects of the invention are directed, on the one hand to the combination of the waistband with the overskirt, and on the other hand to the construction of the lower attachable length section of the overskirt and the cooperating parts to which it is attached.

One of the specific objects of the invention is to provide a form-fitting waistband held in erect position against the body by a placket closure, having a circumferential course of slide-fasteners on the inside, below the top edge of the waistband, and normally concealed by the waistband to which the blouse section of the ensemble is designed to be attached, said course of slidefasteners being made accessible by releasing the placket closure, the skirt being suspended from the top edge of the waistband, whereby when the placket is released, the weight of the skirt progressively and automatically causes the waistband to turn down, assisted by the pressure of the hand as it draws the slide of the slide-fastener circumferentially in the detaching direction.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide in combination with the skirt and waistband as above described, means for stiffening the belt transversely so that it may be turned down through the above-mentioned instrumentalities simultaneously through a wide arc to clear the path of movement of the slide of the slide- Il fastener.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a skirt having a removable lower section attached by a circumferential course of -slidefasteners, the hook strip which is fixed to the skirt, being sewn parallel to the warp of weft of 5 the fabric, and not biaswise, whereby the producing of fullness in the adjacent skirt portion due to the operation of the slide, is avoided.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferredy and prac- 10 I tical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing, throughout the several flgures of which the same characters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating a 15 dress ensemble embodying the principles of my invention;

Figure 2 is a section on an enlarged scale, taken along the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating the 20 stiifened waistband;

Figure 4 is a view in elevation showing an underskirt cut on the straight of the goods adapted to be removably attached to the waistband, and in turn constituting the means to the lower end of which is secured one hook strip of the slidefastener by means of which the lower section of the overskirt is attached.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral l represents the basic overskirt, the upper marginal portion 2 of which normally conceals the waistband 3. Figure 2 indicates that the skirt I is secured to the waistband solely at the upper vend of the latter, as by the line of stitching 4. Figure 2 also shows that the waistband has attached thereto the circumferential courses of slide-fastener hooks 5 and 6 directed upwardly, and similar courses of slide-fastener hooks l and 8 which are directed downwardly. The course of slide-fastener hooks 5 is adapted to cooperate with corresponding courses of hooks at the lower portion of a blouse 9, the invention contemplating that several blouses may be selectively and interchangeably employed. The course of slide-fastener hooks 6 is adapted for the attachment of a brassire or upper slip section I Il having a corresponding course of slide-fastener hooks at its lower portion. The course of slide-fastener hooks 'l is adapted to cooperate with corresponding slide-fastener hooks at the upper part of selectively interchangeable underskirts or lower slip sections, of which one is shown at Il, while the course of slide-fastener hooks 8 is adapted to cooperate with the corresponding courses of slide fastener hooks l2, (see Figure 4) at the upper end of the underskirt I3, which at its lower portion carries the circumferential course of slide-fastener hooks I5, to which the length-increasing section I4 of the overskirt is 5 removably secured by a course of slide-fastener hooks 24, carried adjacent the top of the said vlength-increasing section I4.

Insofar as the patentability of the present invention is concerned, the courses 5, 6, and 1 of m slide-fastener hooks may be ignored.

Referring now to Figure 1, it will be observed that the waistband is form-fitting, and normally lies erect against the body, as indicated at the left hand side of Figure 1 adjacent the reference l5 character 2. It is thus held when the placket I6 is closed by means of the slide-fastener closure I1. When the placket I6 is opened, the tension between the waistband and the body of the wearer is relaxed, so that the waistband is .free to sag.

It will be observed, both from Figures l and 2, that the course of slide-fastener hooks 5 is on the inner side of the waistband in a zone below the top edge of the waistband and, therefore,

concealed by the waistband when the latter is in its normal erect position. The location of this course of slide-fastener hooks below the top of the waistband makes it necessary that the waistband must turn down in order that the slide of the slide-fastener can be moved circumferentially around the body in releasing the blouse 9 from the waistband. In thus turning down, the top edge of the waistband continually intersects the path of movement of the slide, and in the ab- 85 sence of the provisions of the present invention would oppose such resistance to the movement of the hand in operating the slide, as t0 make the dress impracticable. The fact that the skirt I is suspended solely from the top edge of the waistband creates an important function of the invention, for upon the placket being released, the weight of the skirt assisted by the pressure of the hand in moving the slide will progressively turn the waistband down in advance of the hand,

so that the slide may be freely operated in releasing the blouse from the waistband.

As a further improvement in the functioning of the waistband, it is desirable that the skirt shall simultaneously draw the waistband down over a wide arc, so as to offer as small an impediment as possible to the hand in moving the slide in a. releasing direction. To accomplish this purpose, the waistband is preferably provided at intervals with transverse stiffening means such as the bones I8 which are concealed in transverse pipings or pockets I9 formed on the waistband. With this construction, when the placket is opened, and the hand in moving the slide 20 first encounters the waistband, the

weight of the skirt augmented by the slight pressure of the hand, will cause the waistband to turn down simultaneously over an arc as extensive as several of the intervals between the bones, so that the hand will not have to continuously push the waistband downwardly but will encounter it again only after the hand has passed over that are through which the waistband has turned down. Then the hand will again. encounter the waistband and assisted by the weight of the skirt will turn it down simultaneously over another wide arc.

Referring now to the lower part of the skirt I, it will be noted that a circumferential band of fabric is sewn, as at 22, to the inside of the skirt. To this band the circumferential course of slide-fastener hooks 23 is secured, cooperating with the course of slide-fastener hooks 24 at the upper part of the length-increasing section I4. In the styling of the skirt I it is generally desirable, in the interest of fullness, to cut the cloth 5 on the bias. If the band 2| were cut on the bias it would be stretched into what might be termed spurious fullness, by the circumferential pull imparted to it when operating the slide 25, and this fullness would impart a wavy set to the l0 length-increasing section I4, which would not match with the fullness of the skirt I, giving an unsatisfactory appearance to the ensemble. The band 2I is, therefore, cut on the straight of the goods, that is to say, the course of slide-fastener 15 hooks 23 is sewn parallel to the warp or weft of the band 2|, so that said band will not stretch with a longitudinal pull of the slide 25. No spurious undulations will, therefore, be imparted to the length-increasing section I4, so that the lat- 20 ter member will lie in undulations which correspond with those of the skirt I, preserving the appearance of unity of the skirt I and the lengthincreasing section I4. The length-increasing section I4 which is designed to make the skirt of 25 a length suitable for full-dress occasions is provided with the customary cleft 26, which in the present invention is continued to a point above the course of slide fastener hooks 23 so that the locomotion of the wearer is not hobbled by the 30 circumferential course of slide-fasteners.

In that form of the invention shown in Figure 4, the band 2I is substituted by the underskirt I3, which, as has already been stated, is attached by means of the course 0f slide-fastener hooks u I2 to the course of slide-fastener hooks 8 forming part of the waistband construction. The same principle of construction applies to the underskirt I3 as to the band 2|, namely, that the goods is cut on the straight so that the course of slide-fastener hooks I5 at the bottom edge is secured parallel to the warp or weft of the goods, avoiding the spurious fullness above referred to.

While I have in the above description disclosed 45 what I believe to be a preferred and practical embodiment of my invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the details of construction and the arrangement of parts may be varied without transcending the scope 50 of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. Dress construction comprising an overskirt having a close fitting waistline, a waistband 55 within said overskirt to the top only of which the overskirt is seofured, said overskirt being formed with a placket cleft extending downwardly from the waistline across the zone occupied by said waistband, closure means for said 00 placket whereby said overskirt and waistband are held upright against the body, a circumferential slide fastener strip secured to the inside of said waistband adapted for attachment to another garment, having its free edge below the 6I level of the line of union between said overskirt and waistband, whereby when said placket is opened the weight of the overskirt tends to peel the waistband outwardly and downwardly, exposing the slide fastener strip. 70

2. Dress construction comprising an overskirt having a close tting waistline, a waistband within said overskirt to the top only of which the overskirt is secured, said overskirt being formed with a placket cleft extending down- 7| wardly from the waistline across the zone occupied by said waistband, closure means for said placket whereby said overskirt and waistband are held upright against the body, a circumferential slide fastener strip secured to the inside of said waistband adapted for attachment to another garment, having its free edge below the level of the line of union between said overskirt and waistband, whereby when said placket is opened the weight of the overskirt tends to peel the waistband outwardly and downwardly, supplementing the circumferentially directed pressure of the nger which manipulates the slide, exposing the slide fastener strip in advance of said slide, and means for stiftening the waistband widthwise, sufdciently to cause the point at which it begins to turn down to travel a substantial distance in advance of the point of pressure of the slide manipulating linger againstsaid waistband.

3. Dress construction comprising an overskirt having a close iitting waistline, a waistband within said overskirt to the top only of which the overskirt is secured, said overskirt being lformed with a placket cleft extending downwardly from the waistline across the zone occupied by said waistband, closure means for said placket whereby said overskirt and waistband are held upright against the body, a plurality of parallel circumferential slide fastener strips secured in spaced relation to the side of said waistband adapted for attachment to other garments, having their free edges below the level of the line of union between said overskirt and waistband, whereby when said placket is opened lthe weight of the overskirt tends to peel the waistband outwardly and downwardly suppleinenting the circumferentially directed pressure of the nger which manipulates the slide, for exposing said slide fastener strips in advance of the slide.

CLARA HILDEBRAND. 

